LEADING OFF: New Denver Police Chief Robert White stood firm about structures in Civic Center Tuesday. The pronouncement came one day after officers in riot gear went to clear the park. Occupy folks started a bunch of their structures on fire, a few people were arrested and then – as is logical in these situations – some of the protesters Tebowed. (Sidebar: I am now more confused than ever about the meaning of and appropriate use of Tebowing. But I’m guessing Chief White isn’t exactly doing it every night when he gets home).

STRIKE ONE: Two bodies found in a van in Grand County over the weekend were identified as a Denver man and his 9-year-old son, authorities said. It was an apparent murder-suicide, with an extra disturbing twist: sometime between the deaths and the discovery of the bodies, someone located the van and stole the gun used in the shootings. Look for more on this story in coming days.

STRIKE TWO: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Don’t rob banks. The ratio of likely time in prison to likelihood of success/enormous riches is just not good. Just ask the man who was arrested – with the “loot” – while hiding in his car two miles away from the Arvada bank he robbed.

STRIKE THREE: Closing arguments will begin Wednesday in the trial of Douglas Bruce, the anti-tax crusader who represented himself on tax evasion and other charges, often drawing the ire of Judge Anne Mansfield. What’s the over/under on how long it takes that jury to return a verdict?

Police and protesters confront each other during a clash in Civic Center Park

As we wait for U.S. District Court Judge Robert Blackburn to make his ruling on Occupy Denver’s request for a temporary restraining order, I thought I could share a few extra nuggets that emerged during yesterday’s nearly 8-hour proceedings. (See my story in today’s paper about the hearing for an overview of the legal debate, plus a mention of Denver police officers who allegedly set up a fake Twitter account to harass Occupy Denver members.)

Who’s in charge?
It wasn’t surprising to see Occupy Denver supporters, under questioning on the witness stand, hedge on whether to call themselves leaders of the protest. After all, the movement prides itself on being non-hierarchical. But, it turns out, Occupy Denver isn’t the only organization out at Civic Center Park that gives its members a lot of autonomy. Denver Police Division Chief David Quinones testified that the decisions on how to enforce the city ordinances in dispute are ultimately left up to the officers on the ground. Quinones repeatedly rebutted the suggestion that the city had a detailed policy on how to respond to Occupy Denver. “They have a lot of discretion,” Quinones said of the officers. Quinones also said he had not received any orders from Police Chief Gerry Whitman on how to deal with the movement. “I kept him apprised of what was happening,” Quinones said.

How long will it last?
As commenters in a previous post of mine about Occupy Denver noted, one thing that differentiates the protest from other events is the duration. While other protests might also trample some city ordinances, they also have an expected end date. Meanwhile, it’s not clear when Occupy Denver members might decide to pack up camp. Assistant city attorney Stuart Shapiro tried to draw out that distinction when cross-examining the day’s first witness, Occupy Denver supporter Tanner Spendley. Shapiro pressed Spendley several times on how long the movement intended to stay in the park. Spendley, who had earlier said the movement would be in the park “a long time,” ultimately ducked the question.

Occupy Denver protester Roshan Bliss participates in a rally outside the Denver City and County Building earlier this month

Denver city officials have hit back forcefully in federal court against a lawsuit filed by Occupy Denver protesters, saying the protesters’ complaints of free-speech violations are “entirely devoid of any factual support.”

In the city’s official response to Occupy Denver’s lawsuit, assistant city attorney Karla Pierce argues that Denver officials have gone out of their way to allow protesters to exercise their free speech rights — including allowing protesters to hold multiple, unpermitted marches — and have applied the city’s laws consistently. Pierce denies that city leaders are trying to shut down the movement, which is now more than two months old.

“Denver’s enforcement of its ordinances has complied with constitutional requirements,” Pierce writes in the response (PDF). “As a result, numerous peaceful, law abiding persons have been able to freely exercise their constitutional rights since the inception of the Occupy Denver movement.”

Seven Occupy Denver participants and sympathizers filed the lawsuit last week, contending that Denver’s actions in enforcing city ordinances against supporters of the movement amount to a violation of First Amendment rights and an unlawful attempt to close down the protest. Specifically, Occupy Denver referenced two incidents of people being ticketed for honking a horn in support of the movement as they drove by and another in which a man was ticketed for stopping briefly at the curb to give a knit hat to a protester. The lawsuit (PDF) also complains about police use of a right-of-way ordinance to keep protesters from placing items on the sidewalk and of a park curfew law.

Like Occupy Denver, Sniagrab — the annual pre-season ski gear sale at Sports Authority — features people (ostensibly, at least) sleeping on the sidewalk. It also features something Occupy Denver protesters have been denied: tents pitched on the sidewalk.

Denver officials have blocked the protesters from erecting tents by saying that tents would violate the city’s ordinance against sidewalk encumbrances. Occupy Denver protesters contend that preventing them from erecting tents violates their free-speech rights, not only because the tents are important to continuing their protest, but also because the tents themselves are a form of speech. Protesters — who, after all, have “occupy” right in the name — say the tents symbolize their commitment to take back what belongs to the public. The method of habitation is the message.

LEADING OFF: Another weekend of clashes between Occupy Denver and Denver police brought a new distinction for protester Corey Donahue. On Sunday, Donahue was among three people arrested – making it his third Occupy Denver-related arrest. Sunday’s arrest was for blocking a police car, authorities said. Donahue previously was arrested for groping a TV photographer, a move Donahue somewhat famously described as “a bad nut-tap joke gone wrong.” Donahue, 28, is a self-described anarchist who has been with Occupy Denver from its early days and helps in the group’s kitchen. When another of Occupy Denver’s more visible participants quit the movement recently, Donahue told The Post’s Wes Gentry she was “part of a contingency that thinks if we completely let (the police) bash our skulls in, then we’ll win.” “That kind of ‘militant nonviolence’ won’t work,” Donahue added. Gentry is in court for Donahue’s hearing this morning and will have an update soon.

STRIKE ONE: Last night’s “60 Minutes” reported on the growing use of Tasers by U.S. police departments – and some growing concern by law enforcement and others that officers may be using Tasers too quickly.

STRIKE TWO: The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will hear arguments on whether a central provision of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul – the individual mandate – is constitutional. The court scheduled five hours of oral arguments for March, and a decision is expected sometime in June.

STRIKE THREE: A fire broke out this morning at Camp St. Malo, a historic Catholic retreat in Allenspark. Updates to come.

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LEADING OFF: The man who is expected to be Denver’s next police chief is scheduled to meet members of the Denver City Council late this morning. The council still must approve the hiring of Robert White, who’s currently the Louisville, Kentucky chief. White was in Denver Saturday meeting people and pledging to work to build trust in the community. His visit coincided this the latest big Occupy Denver protest, during which 18 people were arrested and police used pepper spray on some in the crowd.

STRIKE ONE: Aurora police are still investigating a house fire in which a 3-year-old boy was killed and a 2-year-old girl injured early Sunday morning. Det. Bob Friel said the department’s looking at the case as possible child neglect, Tom McGhee writes in today’s Denver Post. On Sunday, Jessica Fender had a story about Denver’s new approach to handling prostitution cases, focusing more on the crime of human trafficking.

STRIKE TWO: Elsewhere in Colorado, Fort Collins Police Lt. James Broderick is scheduled for a hearing this afternoon on felony perjury charges related to the investigation and prosecution of Tim Masters, according to the Fort Collins Coloradoan. Lee Grace Dougherty, one-third of the so-called Dougherty gang and the sibling who told the FBI “I deserved to get shot,” will appear in court in Huerfano on charges she pointed a gun at a police officer while the siblings tried to elude police.

STRIKE THREE: Los Angeles police say they’ve linked six more murders to the Grim Sleeper serial killer, who’s already charged with killing 10 women, the LA Times reported over the weekend. Authorities are not expected to add to charges already pending against Lonnie David Franklin Jr., who has pleaded not guilty to the 10 murders with which he is charged. Local media dubbed the killer the Grim Sleeper because there was a break in some of the killings from 1988 to 2002, though detectives apparently have been skeptical that the killer actually took a hiatus.

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Mixed in with the tweets from YourAnonNews and enterblisstonia in the #OccupyDenver Twitter stream this morning were brief bursts from a familiar name. He sought granola and provisions for the protestors. He joined in the outrage over rumors of fire extinguishers filled with mace and posted encouragement for fellow demonstrators.

Then – as others waved placards at passing cars – a scruffy faced man hoisted a neon orange tent emblazoned with “99%” over his head and began pacing the sidewalk shouting slogans.

Now he’s out protesting under his own name and appears to be publicly confronting mental illness, addiction and “a reputation ruined by (his) own misdeeds” in this blog post linked to the Rick Strandlof Twitter profile.